OAKWOOD — The Uni girls went 3-2 and placed fifth in the 10-team McDonald's Comet Classic, an improvement over last year's 2-3 record and ninth-place finish in the tournament.

The first game of this year's tourney went smoothly for the Illineks as they beat Hoopeston Area 53-44 on Nov. 22. The difference was the second quarter, when Uni outscored the Cornjerkers 22-12 to build a double-digit lead that the Illineks retained for most of the contest.

Senior Rachel Skoza and freshman Jamie Blue combined for 33 points — Blue with 18, Skoza with 15. Junior guard Michelle Wong had a solid performance with 10 points.

Later that night, Shiloh crushed Uni 69-40. The Raiders — who eventually won the tournament with a 5-0 record — proved too much as Uni trailed 20-2 at the end of the first quarter and 34-15 by the halftime buzzer.

Despite a much better second-half performance, the Illineks saw the deficit grow to 29 points as Shiloh outscored them 35-25 in the remaining 16 minutes. Blue led Uni with 15 points, followed by senior Jessi Sullivan with 11.

Two days later on Monday, the Illineks played a very close game against Westville. Uni beat the Tigers 55-49 but had to push every step of the way.

Skoza had an excellent showing with a career-high 25 points, and Blue added 18. The Illineks held a slim 21-20 advantage at halftime but seemed to pull away with a 19-10 third quarter. The Tigers made it close, though, outscoring Uni 19-15 in the final period.

This win was crucial as Uni went into play on Tuesday against the host team, Oakwood. The Comets defeated Uni handily, 63-33.

After the disappointing loss, the team came back after Thanksgiving Day to beat Heritage 57-48 on Friday in the matchup for fifth place. Skoza and Sullivan knocked down 20 points each, and Skoza was named to the all-tournament team.

The Illineks, now 4-2 overall and 0-0 in the East Central Illinois Conference, will continue their season in a nonconference match Tuesday against Shiloh at Kenney Gym.

For complete schedule and results, visit the OG Scoreboard.

MCDONALD'S COMET CLASSIC RESULTS AT A GLANCE

Saturday, Nov. 22, at Oakwood High School

• 9 a.m. — Blue Ridge 47, Heritage 40
• 10:30 a.m. — Milford 41, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 30
• noon — Chrisman 63, Blue Ridge 25
• 1:30 p.m. — Milford 49, Heritage 32
• 3 p.m. — Shiloh 68, Westville 36
• 4:30 p.m. — UNI HIGH 53, Hoopeston 44
• 6 p.m. — Oakwood 65, Westville 50
• 7:30 p.m. — Shiloh 69, UNI HIGH 40

Monday, Nov. 24, at Oakwood High School

• 6 p.m. — UNI HIGH 55, Westville 49
• 7:30 p.m. — Oakwood 55, Hoopeston Area 37

Monday, Nov. 24, at Oakwood Grade School

• 6 p.m. — Milford 34, Blue Ridge 30
• 7:30 p.m. — Chrisman 53, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 26

Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Oakwood High School

• 6 p.m. — Shiloh 55, Hoopeston Area 30
• 7:30 p.m. — Oakwood 63, UNI HIGH 33

Tuesday, Nov. 25, at Oakwood Grade School

• 6 p.m. — Georgetown-Ridge Farm 33, Blue Ridge 25
• 7:30 p.m. — Chrisman 51, Heritage 31

Wednesday, Nov. 26, at Oakwood High School

• 6 p.m. — Westville 40, Hoopeston Area 36
• 7:30 p.m. — Shiloh 59, Oakwood 54

Wednesday, Nov. 26, at Oakwood Grade School

• 6 p.m. — Heritage 33, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 27
• 7:30 p.m. — Chrisman 50, Milford 45

Friday, Nov. 28, at Oakwood High School

• 9th Place: Hoopeston Area 42, Georgetown-Ridge Farm 29
• 7th Place : Blue Ridge 56, Westville 43
• 5th Place: UNI HIGH 57, Heritage 48
• 3rd Place: Milford 69, Oakwood 63
• Championship: Shiloh 52, Chrisman 36

MCDONALD'S COMET CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

• Erin Downey, Shiloh
• Taylor Hawkins, Shiloh
• Danielle Brown, Shiloh
• Brooke Wolfe, Chrisman
• Codi Lock, Chrisman
• Jocelyn Kindred, Chrisman
• Julie Estay, Milford
• Amy Martin, Oakwood
• Rachel Skoza, UNI HIGH
• Linzy Houghtaling, Georgetown-Ridge Farm